Romania is set to launch the maiden auction of its multi-year plan for 10 GW contract for difference (CfD) support scheme for onshore wind and solar projects. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the Ministry of Energy prepare for the maiden tender round that will award contracts for 1 GW onshore wind and 1 GW solar PV capacity.
The 2 GW tender is planned to be launched in September 2023 and winners announced in November 2023. Winning projects will be supported through the CfD scheme for 15 years. Romania had sought inputs from interested stakeholders for the CfD auction scheme in December 2022 (see Romania Gauging Interest For Renewables Auctions).
"The two-way CfD scheme incentivizes investments in renewable energy by providing revenue stability to developers and strengthening the market integration of renewables," stated the bank that's working with the ministry to create necessary legal and regulatory framework for the scheme.
It is also aligned with the country's Recovery and Resilience Plan, approved by the European Commission. In February 2023, the commission approved €259 million state aid to encourage investments in solar cell and module manufacturing (see Solar PV Manufacturing Slated To Come To Romania).
Anticipating growing demand for solar in the country, Germany's AE Solar earlier this year announced intention to invest €1 billion to set up a solar panel manufacturing facility in Romania and scale it up to 10 GW annually in the future (see 10 GW Solar Panel Manufacturing Facility In Romania).